Arrangements for interconnecting refill vessels with reservoirs adapted to be filledwith liquefied gas from such vessels



ING REFILL VESSE BE FILLED WITH M SUCH VESSELS ECT Mir/ a! 5 C. ZELLWEGER R INTERCONN IRS ADAPTED TO Filed Aug. 31

LIQUEF'IED GAS FRO WITH RESERVO ARRANGEMENTS F0 Sept. 15, 1964 u V L.

INVENTOoP.

CON/PHD ZELL WEGEE! A TURNEIGZ' United States Patent 3,148,712 ARRANGEMENTS FQR INTERCONNECTKNG RE- FILL VESSELS WITH RESERVOTRS ADAPTED TO BE F LED WiTH LTQUEFIED GAS FROM SUCH VESSELS Conrad Zellweger, Geneva, Switzerland, assignor to La Nationale S.A., Geneva, Switzerland, a corporation of Switierland, and Reason Corporation, Woodbridge, NJ, a corporation of New Jersey, jointly Filed Aug. 31, 1960, Ser. No. 53,137 Claims priority, application Switzerland, Sept. 8, 1959, 77,996 10 Claims. (Cl. 141-293) The present invention relates to arrangements for interconnecting refill vessels with reservoirs which are adapted to be filled with liquefied gas from such vessels.

The invention provides unusually simple, efiicient, reliable and economical improvements and alternatives for the above-stated purposes and which overcome certain disadvantages of former proposals for the purpose. The invention is particularly adapted for use in connection with refill vessels for the reservoirs of lighters wherein liquefied gas is used as the fuel.

In accordance with the invention, a refill vessel is provided which has a connecting piece having a plurality of portions which, when the connecting piece is inserted into the valve structure of a reservoir, cooperate with such valve means of a type having at least two passages. One of the portions on the connecting piece comprises an inlet passage through which the reservoir becomes connected to the refill vessel, and at least one other of said portions of the connecting piece is so constructed as to be effective to provide, throughout the operation of filling the reservoir, communication between the reservoir and the atmosphere to permit escape of part of the gas contained in the reservoir. The reservoir valve means includes at least two closure members or portions, each movable in relation to seats therefor normally to insure the automatic closing of the two passages. The portions of the connecting piece when applied to the reservoir act on said closure members or portions to open said passages to permit the filling operation to be carried on.

Various further and more specific objects, features and advantages of the invention will appear from the description given below, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, illustrating by way of example preferred forms of the invention.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a vertical sectional view of one embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2 is an underneath view of the embodiment shown in FIG 1; and

FIGS. 3 and 4 respectively show two alternative embodiments of the invention.

The valve shown in FIGURE 1 comprises a receptacle or body portion 1, preferably cylindrical in shape, screwed into a wall 2 of a reservoir, for example the reservoir of a lighter fueled with liquefied gas, a sealing washer 3 being provided between these parts. The body 1 comprises a receptacle or socket having a base portion 4 wherein there are two orifices 5 and 6. These two orifices are closed by means of a resilient membrane 7 located in the interior of the reservoir and bearing against the base 4 by virtue of the pressure of gas contained in the reservoir. This membrane 7 is held in position by two bent tabs 8 and 9 which are shown in FIG. 2. These tabs may be formed as a part of, or mounted upon, the base 4. The membrane 7 may be formed of a suitable resilient sheet material, for example rubber, synthetic rubber or other suitable elastomer.

This valve means cooperates with a part 10 which forms "ice the connecting piece of a refill vessel. Such connecting piece has two end portions 11 and 12 for engaging in the two orifices 5 and 6, respectively, to open the valves by moving the membrane 7 away from the said orifices. The end portion 11 has a longitudinal bore 13 for the admission of liquefied gas from the refill vessel into the reservoir while portion 12 has bores constituting an exhaust passage 14 for the gas contained in the reservoir.

To fill the reservoir, which may be for instance on a cigarette lighter, the reservoir is inverted so that the valve arrangement is uppermost and the connecting piece 10 is inserted downwardly into the socket 1. When portions 11 and 12 respectively enter the orifices 5 and 6 they open the inlet and exhaust passages. The refill vessel has closure means which are not shown and which may, for example, be an automatic valve whose opening is governed by a displacement of the connecting piece 10 towards the interior of the refill vessel as described, for example, in applicants copending application Serial No. 53,138, filed concurrently herewith. When the closure means on the refill vessel are opened to allow the passage of liquefied gas, the liquefied gas can enter the reservoir by way of bore 13. In order that the membrane 7 shall not act to close the lower orifice of the bore 13 during the filling operation, this bore ends in a transverse milling 15 so that the gas flows laterally through this milling. It will be understood that the passage at milling 15 may be formed in any suitable way and preferably such as will allow the liquefied gas to escape at an angle to end portion 11. That is, such end portion for example may be formed with a chamfer or sloping face on its end or equivalent passage in the form of a bore. Part of the gas contained in the reservoir can escape to atmosphere tlnough the exhaust passage 14 and the play between the connecting piece 10 and the upper cylindrical space in the body 1. During the filling of the reservoir with liquefied gas, part of the gas escapes in gaseous phase by way of this exhaust passage. When the reservoir is filled with liquefied gas to a level substantially up to the bottom of exhaust passage 14, gas will then escape to atmosphere in liquid form which warns the user that the filling operation is completed. Then upon removal of the refill vessel from the lighter the valves close automatically.

The object of the exhaust channel is to lower the pressure in the reservoir so that, for the usual differences in temperature between the reservoir and the refill, a drop in pressure occurs in the reservoir to be filled such that the pressure is lower than the pressure of liquefied gas contained in the refill vessel.

If the reservoir to be filled contains a little liquid gas, the pressure obtaining in the interior of this reservoir is that of the vapour pressure corresponding to the temperature; if the reservoir to be filled is warmer than the refill vessel, the pressure in the reservoir is higher than in the refill vessel and the filling operation cannot take place.

So as to avoid too great a loss of gas, it is advantageous to choose a ratio between the cross section of the inlet channel and the cross section of the exhaust channel so as to obtain only a small drop in pressure in the interior of the reservoir to be filled, a drop for instance of one-tenth of the initial pressure. If the cross section of the exhaust channel is much larger than the cross section of the inlet channel, great drops in pressure occur which can even lead to equilibrium with atmospheric pressure and the gas losses can exceed by many times the contents of the reservoir which is to be filled. Furthermore, if the exhaust channel is too big in relation to the inlet channel, considerable upheavals and boiling can occur in the interior of the reservoir which is to be filled, whereupon amounts of gas in liquid form escape through the exhaust channel. By a delicate balance between the two cross sections, the filling of the reservoir can take with an acceptable loss of gas and without undue upheavals.

FIGURE 3 shows a construction which may be used as an alternative for that of FIGURES l and 2. Parts corresponding to those of FIGURE 1 are identified in FIGURES 3 and 4-, by the same reference numerals accompanied by prime marks and double prime marks respectively. The principal differences comprise first the use in FIGURE 3 of two rubber balls 16 and 17' to close the bores 5' and 6 in the base 4' of the body 1 of the valve and second in doing away with bores of the form shown in end piece 12 of FIGURE 1. In this embodiment, part 12. has suflicient play in the bore 6' to provide a passage for the escape of gas. Fluidtightness of the inlet passage between the connecting piece and the valve is obtained by virtue of a shoulder 18' which bears against the base of the valve. It can also be seen that the diameter of bores 5 and 6 is slightly smaller near each end of the bore than in its central part, which prevents the balls 16' and 17' from leaving the bores. Two radial bores 19' and 26' open into each of the bores 5 and 6 to allow gas to flow when the balls 16 and 17' are pressed against the lower part of their respective bores. The working of this embodiment is similar to that which has just been described, the rubber balls 16' and 17 being held in their upper position upon the withdrawal of the connecting piece 10' by virtue of the pressure obtaining in the interior of the reservoir.

In the embodiments described, it is possible to stagger the opening and closing of the inlet and exhaust passages by making portions 11' and 12' of different lengths. If portion 12' is longer than portion 11 the exhaust passage is closed after the inlet passage when the refill vessel is removed from the lighter which avoids all risk of over-filling the lighter.

FIGURE 4 shows a variation of the embodiment according to FIGURE 3 from which it differs in that the escape orifice is closed by closure member 21" having a stem 22" extending towards the outside and intended to be moved by a portion of the head of the connecting piece 10 during the filling operation. The closure member 21 and the stem 22" are in one piece which is retained in the hole 6" by means of a screw 23". It will be understood that the exhaust gases escaping past member 21" may be vented to the atmosphere through the clearance space between connecting piece 10" and the body portion 1", and if desired, the facing surfaces of these members may be grooved to facilitate the passage of gas, and the corresponding facing surfaces of the constructions of FIGURES 1 and 3 similarly may be grooved, if desired.

In operating the device of FIGURE 1, when the connecting piece 10 is inserted into the socket of the base 1, it will be understood that if the portions 11 and 12 do not immediately come into register with the orifices 5 and 6, then the connecting piece may be turned in either direction until such registration is accomplished, whereupon the connecting piece may be firmly seated within the socket in a position so that the portions 11 and 12 engage the membrane 7, thereby opening the valve orifices.

It will be understood that the portions 11 and 12 respectively may either be brought into register with the orifices 5 and 6, or respectively into register with orifices 6 and 5. Similarly with the arrangement of FIGURE 3, portions 11 and 12 may be brought into engagement with the ball valves respectively within the orifices 5' and 6' or the balls within orifices 6' and 5'. In other words, in FIGURES 1 and 3, the inlet and exhaust valve arrangements are preferably as shown although not necessarily, arranged in positions symmetrical with respect to the axis of the connecting piece, so that the two sets of valve parts within the reservoir respectively may be operated either as inlet or exhaust valves, depending on how the connecting piece happens to be inserted in place. In the construction as shown in FIGURE 3, the portions 11' and 12' are about to engage the balls of the valves and upon further thrusting the connecting piece 10' into the socket, the balls will be moved downwardly, thereby opening the passages 19' and 20 as the shoulder 18 seats against the interior bottom surface of the socket in fluid-tight relation. A similar shoulder, it will be noted, is provided adjacent the portion 11" in FIG. 4.

In the construction of FIGURE 4, the connecting piece is similarly inserted in the socket and turned until the portion 11" comes into register with the orifices 5", at which time the exhaust valve operating stem 22" will also be engaged as the connecting piece is forced further downwardly to open the ball valve and orifice 5".

What is claimed and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. Interconnection means for interconnecting a liquefied gas dispensing vessel with a container having a liquefied gas reservoir, for filling the latter with such liquefied gas comprising: a socket-like receptacle having means for mounting same in a wall of the container to project into said reservoir, and a receptacle-registering connecting piece for the dispensing vessel, said receptacle having normally closed reservoir gas inlet and exhaust valve means, said valve means each communicating with an interior wall of said receptacle and including valve closure means in abutting contact with said reservoir gas inlet and exhaust valve means maintaining the same in a normally closed position by pressure exerted by the liquefied gas, said valve closure means adapted to be opened responsive to pressure applied thereto opposing the said pres sure exerted by the liquefied gas, and said connecting piece fitted loosely in said socket-like receptacle, said connecting piece having exterior portions arranged and constructed to engage and pressure actuate both said valve closure means to open the same, said connecting means being provided with a liquefied gas inlet passage means extending interiorly of said connecting piece for directing said liquefied gas from the dispensing vessel through said inlet valve means into the reservoir, and said connecting means being further provided with an exhaust gas passage extending from said exhaust valve means and around the.

outer surfaces of said connecting piece to the atmosphere.

2. Interconnection means according to claim 1 wherein said receptacle inlet and exhaust valve means consist of means defining inlet and exhaust valve orifices extending through an interior base portion of said receptacle, means defining enlarged apertures interior of said base portion, and each communicating with one of said orifice means, normally closed valve closure means within each of said apertures and associated with each of said orifices, and means defining a laterally extending gas conduit associated with each said orifice and its associated valve closure means, each said gas conduit passing through the wall of said receptacle at a location therealong normally to open into said reservoir so that, when the respective valve means are in valve-open position, each said gas conduit communicates with its associated valve orifice, and said connecting piece exterior portions including a protruding end portion arranged and constructed to pressureactuate said inlet valve means to open the same, said liquefied gas passage extending interiorly of said protruding end portion.

3. Interconnection means according to claim 2 wherein said inlet valve closure means consists of a ball, said ball and its associated aperture and said inlet valve orifice arranged and constructed with respect to each other so that the ball closes said inlet valve orifice responsive to gas pressure within said reservoir, and said exhaust valve closure means consists of valve stem means normally protruding through said exhaust valve orifice into the interior of said receptacle for valve operating association with one of the exterior portions of said connecting piece, said valve stem means and its associated aperture and said exhaust valve orifice arranged and constructed with respect to each other so that the valve stem means closes said exhaust valve orifice responsive to gas pressure within said reservoir.

4. Interconnection means according to claim 2 wherein each of said valve closure means consists of a ball, each such ball and its associated aperture and valve orifice being arranged and constructed with respect to each other so that the ball closes its associated valve orifice responsive to gas pressure within said reservoir, and said connecting piece exterior portions further including a second protruding end portion arranged and constructed to pressure-actuate said exhaust valve means to open the same.

5. Disengageable means for interconnecting a refill vessel and a reservoir adapted to be filled with liquefied gas from the said refill vessel, characterized in that the refill vessel carries a connecting piece, and the reservoir carries socket-like receptable means for said connecting piece, said receptacle means being provided with valve passages and normally closed pressure actuated valve closure means associated with said valve passages, said connecting piece constructed to fit loosely within said socket-like receptacle means and having a plurality of valve cooperating portions each associated with one of said valve passages, one of said portions of the connecting piece containing an inlet passage to connect the reservoir with the refill vessel through one of said valve passages when its associated valve closure means is open, and another of said portions of the connecting piece arranged and constructed to provide, when the valve closure means of another of said valve passages is open, a communication passage from the reservoir to the atmosphere between the exterior walls of said connecting piece and the corresponding interior walls of said socket-like receptacle to enable part of the gas contained in the reservoir to escape, the said portions of the connecting piece engaging their associated valve closure means to open the same during the filling of the reservoir.

6. A connecting piece for a liquefied gas dispensing vessel and for use in dispensing such liquefied gas from said vessel into a liquefied gas container reservoir having an attached socket-like receptacle for receiving said connecting piece, the receptacle having gas inlet and exhaust valve orifices and normally closed, pressure-actuated valve closure means associated with each said valve orifice, said connecting piece comprising: an elongated body for loose registering insertion into said receptacle, said body including an endwall and being interiorly adapted to conduct said liquefied gas from the dispensing vessel to a location behind said endwall, said endwall having an exterior portion for valve opening engagement with the valve closure means of the exhaust valve orifice, said body also being shaped to provide a gas exhaust passage extending from the exhaust valve orifice to the exterior of the socket-like receptacle at its open end when said connecting piece is inserted into said receptacle, said endwall also having a protruding end portion for insertion into the inlet valve orifice for valve opening engagement with the valve closure means thereof, and means providing a liquefied gas inlet passage extending through said endwall from the interior of said body to substantially the terminus of said protruding end portion, said protruding end portion being shaped at its terminus to adapt same with respect to the inlet passage to direct the liquefied gas past the inlet valve closure means into the reservoir when in the inlet valve open position.

7. A connecting piece according to claim 6 wherein said endwall exterior portion for valve opening engagement with the valve closure means of the exhaust valve orifice comprises a second protruding end portion for loose-fitting insertion into the exhaust valve orifice, and

the gas exhaust passage consists of interior passage means in said body extending from an exterior sidewall thereof to substantially the terminus of said second protruding end portion, said second protruding end portion including means at its said terminus adapting said second protruding end portion with respect to said exhaust valve closure means and said interior passage means to direct exhaust gas past the exhaust valve closure means when in its valve-open position.

8. A connecting piece according to claim 6 wherein said endwall exterior portion for valve opening engagement with said valve closure means of said exhaust valve orifice comprises a second protruding end portion of said endwall for loose-fitting insertion into the exhaust valve orifice, and said means of said body to provide a gas exhaust passage consists of a protruding shoulder on said endwall, said protruding shoulder being shorter than the protruding lengths of said first and second protruding end portions.

9. Disengageable means for interconnecting a refill vessel and a reservoir adapted to be filled with liquefied gas from the said refill vessel, characterized in that the refill vessel has a connecting piece, and the reservoir has a socket-like receptacle means for receiving said connecting piece, said receptacle means being provided with valve passages, valve closure means associated with said valve passages, said valve closure means being biased against said valve passages whereby said valve passages are normally closed, said connecting piece adapted to cooperate with and open said valve passages, said connecting piece containing an inlet passage to connect the reservoir with the refill vessel through one of said valve passages when its associated valve closure means is open, and said connecting piece being arranged and constructed to provide, when the valve closure means of another of said valve passages is'open, a communication passage from the reservoir to the atmosphere between the exterior walls of said connecting piece and the corresponding interior walls of said socket-like receptacle to enable part of the gas contained in the reservoir to escape, the said portions of the connecting piece engaging their associated valve closure means to open the same during the filling of the reservoir.

10. A refill valve in a gas lighter adapted to receive a connecting piece from a liquefied gas dispensing vessel used in dispensing such liquefied gas from said vessel into a liquefied gas container reservoir of said gas lighter having an attached socket-like receptacle for receiving said connecting piece in loose fitting relation therewith, the receptacle having gas inlet and exhaust valve orifices and normally closed valve closure means associated with each said valve orifice, said valve closure means being biased against said inlet and exhaust valve orifices whereby said orifices are normally closed, said connecting piece comprising: an elongated body for loose registering insertion into said receptacle, said body including an end Wall and being interiorly adapted to conduct said liquefied gas from the dispensing vessel to a location behind said end wall, said end wall having an exterior portion for valve opening engagement with the valve closure means of the exhaust valve orifice, said body also being shaped to provide a gas exhaust passage extending from the exhaust valve orifice to the exterior of the socket-like receptacle at its open end and between the exterior walls of said connecting piece and the corresponding interior walls of said receptacle when said connecting piece is inserted into said receptacle, said end wall also having a protruding end portion for insertion into the inlet valve orifice for valve opening engagement with the valve closure means thereof, and means providing a liquefied gas inlet passage extending through said end wall from the interior of said body to substantially the terminus of said protruding end portion, said protruding end portion being shaped at its terminus to adapt same with respect to the inlet passage References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Doering et a1 Sept. 25, 1917 Cooke Oct. 19, 1935 8 Vizay June 4, 1946 Zellweger Apr. 21, 1959 Lowenthal June 20, 1961 FOREIGN PATENTS Austria Mar. 25, 1935 France June 15, 1959 

1. INTERCONNECTION MEANS FOR INTERCONNECTING A LIQUEFIED GAS DISPENSING VESSEL WITH A CONTAINER HAVING A LIQUEFIED GAS RESERVOIR, FOR FILLING THE LATTER WITH SUCH LIQUEFIED GAS COMPRISING: A SOCKET-LIKE RECEPTACLE HAVING MEANS FOR MOUNTING SAME IN A WALL OF THE CONTAINER TO PROJECT INTO SAID RESERVOIR, AND A RECEPTACLE-REGISTERING CONNECTING PIECE FOR THE DISPENSING VESSEL, SAID RECEPTACLE HAVING NORMALLY CLOSED RESERVOIR GAS INLET AND EXHAUST VALVE MEANS, SAID VALVE MEANS EACH COMMUNICATING WITH AN INTERIOR WALL OF SAID RECEPTACLE AND INCLUDING VALVE CLOSURE MEANS IN ABUTTING CONTACT WITH SAID RESERVOIR GAS INLET AND EXHAUST VALVE MEANS MAINTAINING THE SAME IN A NORMALLY CLOSED POSITION BY PRESSURE EXERTED BY THE LIQUEFIED GAS, SAID VALVE CLOSURE MEANS ADAPTED TO BE OPENED RESPONSIVE TO PRESSURE APPLIED THERETO OPPOSING THE SAID PRESSURE EXERTED BY THE LIQUEFIED GAS, AND SAID CONNECTING PIECE FITTED LOOSELY IN SAID SOCKET-LIKE RECEPTACLE, SAID CONNECTING PIECE HAVING EXTERIOR PORTIONS ARRANGED AND CONSTRUCTED TO ENGAGE AND PRESSURE ACTUATE BOTH SAID VALVE CLOSURE MEANS TO OPEN THE SAME, SAID CONNECTING MEANS BEING PROVIDED WITH A LIQUEFIED GAS INLET PASSAGE MEANS EXTENDING INTERIORLY OF SAID CONNECTING PIECE FOR DIRECTING SAID LIQUEFIED GAS FROM THE DISPENSING VESSEL THROUGH SAID INLET VALVE MEANS INTO THE RESERVOIR, AND SAID CONNECTING MEANS BEING FURTHER PROVIDED WITH AN EXHAUST GAS PASSAGE EXTENDING FROM SAID EXHAUST VALVE MEANS AND AROUND THE OUTER SURFACES OF SAID CONNECTING PIECE TO THE ATMOSPHERE. 